Individual Write-Ups On Birmingham News's Super Seniors Top 12.

[AUChizad]

So far, halfway through, it's one bammer at #11, and an Auburn commit at #10, #8, & #7.

2010 Birmingham News Super Seniors, No. 10: Davidson DE Jabrian Niles

Josh Bean, Press-Register, August 13, 2010 8:45 a.m.
View full size
Davidson High's Jabrian Niles had eight sacks and 31 quarterback hurries for a defense that allowed only 13.4 points per game. (Press-Register)

This is the third installment of a 12-part countdown of the high school seniors judged by The Birmingham News and recruiters as the best football players in the state for the Class of 2011.

MOBILE -- Jabrian Niles expected to play quarterback, not chase them.

Niles started his high school career as a quarterback in Davidson's pistol offense, but early in his sophomore season, coaches saw no need to banish one of the Warriors' top athletes to the sideline while waiting for playing time.

That led to the experiment of playing Niles at defensive end. Never mind that he didn't even know how to get into a proper stance for a defensive lineman, much less understand Davidson's defensive scheme.

"When they moved me to D-line, I thought it was crazy because I didn't really know too much about it," Niles said.

The crazy experiment worked out just fine.

Now standing 6-foot-2" and weighing 270 pounds, Niles has emerged as one of the Deep South's top defensive line prospects and is ranked No. 10 on The News' Super Seniors list for the Class of 2011.

Niles is headed to Auburn. He considered offers from the likes of Southern Cal, Alabama and Florida State before picking the Tigers earlier this summer.

While admitting it took a long time to give up the dream of throwing touchdowns, he's now content with throwing quarterbacks to the ground.

"If I had stayed at quarterback, I probably wouldn't be that known," he said.

It didn't take Niles long to get noticed.

As a sophomore in 2008, he played mostly on passing downs to take advantage of his speed and agility against offensive tackles who were often bigger and more experienced. Then, in the spring of 2009, he had his coming-out party in a jamboree event in Foley while playing against Hoover.

Niles batted down several passes at the line of scrimmage -- a play that barely gets applause from fans but is coveted by college recruiters.

"If you have a good game against Hoover or Prattville, everybody in the country knows about it real quick because those communities are so Internet (savvy)," Davidson coach Fred Riley said. "Word spreads real fast out of those communities. He might have done the same thing against somebody here in town and gone unnoticed, except for college guys seeing it on film.

"All of a sudden it's, "Hey, you need to check out that kid at Davidson. He's pretty good.' That really helped him."

Just like that, Niles' days of playing quarterback were done.

"I didn't really think it was going to be that big," Niles said of his performance against Hoover. "It was just knocking down some passes. I didn't think that just knocking down a pass could make a big impact on a football game."

Niles parlayed his spring fame into a stellar 2009 season, recording eight sacks and 31 quarterback hurries for a Davidson defense that allowed only 13.4 points per game.

As Niles continues to get bigger -- he's added 20 pounds since last season -- some recruiting services expect him to eventually become a defensive tackle at Auburn. He doesn't seem fazed by the speculation.

"I just love football," he said. "No matter where they put me, I'll try to do my best at it."

JABRIAN NILES

Super Seniors ranking: No. 10

Position: Defensive end

School: Davidson

Height/Weight: 6-2"/270

College choice: Auburn. Picked the Tigers over offers from virtually every SEC program, as well as Southern Cal, Florida State and Texas Tech.

Stat parade: Niles compiled 31 solo tackles and 35 assists in 2009, including 8 tackles for loss, 1 sack, 2 fumble recoveries, 10 pass break-ups and 31 quarterback hurries.

Did you know: The beefy lineman likes to dance, something that few people know about him. "Not like ballet dancing, but just messing around with my friends, (and) just trying new moves." ... Niles is a cousin of former Davidson standout Chris Hughes, who is a freshman at Mississippi State. ... Asked his favorite thing about football, he needed just one word: "Tackling."

Quotable: "He has an uncanny ability to knock down passes at the line. It's like a basketball player who can block shots. Some people just have that gift, and he has it." -- Davidson head coach Fred Riley

2010 Birmingham New Super Seniors, No. 8: Sweet Water LB Chris Landrum

Doug Segrest, Birmingham News, August 15, 2010 8:06 a.m.
View full size
Sweet Water's Chris Landrum has committed to Auburn. Sweet Water is the ASWA preseason No. 1 pick in Class 1A. (Special to The Birmingham News)

This is the fifth installment of a 12-part countdown of the high school seniors judged by The Birmingham News and recruiters as the best football players in the state for the Class of 2011.

SWEET WATER -- Chris Landrum doesn't speak a lot.

He will let his T-shirt do the talking.

"Full Throttle," it reads, as he cools off in the Sweet Water locker room between early two-a-day practices.

Nothing less will be expected from Landrum as a senior.

He's already committed to Auburn, getting the rush of recruiting out of the way early. So the mission at hand is to get the storied Sweet Water football program back to normal.

That means a return to the Super Six championship game, a trip that seems annual but ended in mid-November a year ago with a quarterfinal loss.

"The way we ended last year hurt," Sweet Water coach Stacy Luker said. "We weren't used to that. I'm hoping that is driving them this year."

He expects Landrum to grab the wheel.

Sweet Water is the ASWA preseason No. 1 pick in Class 1A. And Landrum, who is already academically qualified for college admission, is the biggest reason.

"He can and needs to (take it up a notch)," Luker said. "Chris has work to do before he heads to Auburn. And that's to lead us to another state championship."

Despite its size, the South Alabama program routinely sends players to college on football scholarships, including Drew Luker, Johnny Lockett and Anthony Landrum, Chris Landrum's cousin, in recent years.

"Every D-I player we've had has practiced at a different level," the coach added. "Now he has to.

"He's very intense on the football field and very talented. He's got that Landrum smile. But he needs to lead. And we're working on that."

His decision to end his recruitment early led him to the Auburn commitment.

Yet Landrum was raised a fan of another school.

"Before this, I always wanted to go to Alabama," Landrum said. "I was a diehard Alabama fan until I took my visit."

He'd been to Auburn before his football recruiting visit, joining teammates at basketball camp. But his return for football left him with a new BFF - Leeds defensive back Jonathan Rose - and an appreciation for the atmosphere down on The Plain.

"I wasn't going to rush it, but I knew where I wanted to go," said Landrum, who passed on Alabama's invitation to summer camp. "I wanted to get it over and focus on my team."

For now, recruitment is done. But come next spring, there may be another team after Landrum.

And unlike Auburn, the other team will offer far more than a college scholarship.

Landrum comes from a family with deep baseball roots. Cousins Cedric and Tito played in the big leagues. Two other cousins made it to Double-A. His father, Roosevelt, was a highly touted baseball player before wrecking his knee at North Alabama.

"Trust me, they'll check him out because of his bloodlines," Luker said. "But there's no question football is his best sport."

The genes seem unlimited. An older brother played junior college baseball and a sister played basketball at UAB.

To arrive at Auburn as a polished freshman, he'll have to put the smile away and raise the tempo as a defender, using more than his speed.

He believes he already has the work ethic, a point Luker endorses. He also "knows the game."

"What you see is what you get with him," Luker said. "I work with him every day on being a leader. That has to be his next big step."

CHRIS LANDRUM

Super Seniors ranking: No. 8

Position: Linebacker

School: Sweet Water

Height/Weight: 6-2/215

College choice: Committed to Auburn. Landrum, who has qualified academically, also had offers from Alabama and Duke and serious interest from other major programs, including Tennessee.

Stat parade: As a junior, Landrum was a two-way standout. On defense, he recorded 68 tackles and 12 sacks. On offense, he rushed for 947 yards.

Did you know: Everyone knows about the baseball and football genes, but Landrum is also a standout basketball player. He played forward and center as a sophomore and junior, leading Sweet Water to its first area title. As a senior, he's moving to point guard. But he'll have to wait on basketball until football season is over -- December, preferably.

Quotable: "He's been raised right. I told his Daddy that he's been a role model for me as a father. He spends good, quality time with his children and raises them in a good, Christian environment." -- Sweet Water coach Stacy Luker

2010 Birmingham News Super Seniors, No. 7: Leroy WR Sammie Coates

Doug Segrest, Birmingham News, August 16, 2010 8:01 a.m.
View full size
Leroy's Sammie Coates is one of Alabama's most underrated blue-chip prospects. (Press-Register / G.M. Andrews)

This is the sixth installment of a 12-part countdown of the high school seniors judged by The Birmingham News and recruiters as the best football players in the state for the Class of 2011.

LEROY -- Sammie Coates pulled up in Hattiesburg, Miss., last March with a lot to prove.

He'd been a complementary receiver during Leroy's state title run as a sophomore and plagued by the pain of a broken ankle as a junior.

When he arrived for Southern Miss' Junior Day, his intention was to turn heads.

He did, creating a buzz through the camp due to his raw athletic ability. By the end of the day, Southern Miss' coaches were ready with a scholarship offer after seeing what they believed to be the best receiver in the camp.

It seemed too good to be true. At least for Southern Miss.

A Southern Miss recruiter called Leroy coach Danny Powell for background. Then another told Coates they were ready to offer.

"They told Sammie, "I don't want you to commit. Think it over.' Then they told me, "When the Alabama and Auburn guys see him they're going to be all over him,'" Powell said.

Coates pondered and pondered - for a day. Back home, back in school, he made the call and made the commitment to Southern Miss.

And, as the Southern Miss coaches expected, it wouldn't last.

Coates doesn't get high ratings from the recruiting services - he's No. 33 on Rivals.com's list of top Alabama seniors and the nation's No. 62 receiver on Scout.com's rankings. But if you ask college recruiters, Coates, the No. 7 prospect on The Birmingham News Super Seniors list, may be the most underrated blue-chipper around.

He has height (6-foot-3) but not bulk (170 pounds). He has good hands, but they're easier to see in person than on film. The long-legged Coates also has speed to burn. He was reportedly clocked at a did-I-just-see-that? 4.31 in the 40-yard dash at Auburn's camp this summer.

But he plays at a Class 1A school in South Alabama that has only recently begun producing Division I-A players again.

Former teammate Clint Moseley is a redshirt freshman quarterback at Auburn and another, Johnny Williams, is a wideout at Duke.

"Alabama's Coach (Jeremy) Pruitt told us, "If you come to camp and Coach (Nick) Saban likes you, you'll get an offer,'" Powell explained. "More and more, all of them want to get you on campus and see you compete against elite players. Especially if you are from a small school."

That's the formula that worked for Southern Miss, at least four months. After staying on top of Powell and encouraging Coates to come to Auburn all summer, he finally did go to camp. Deja vu all over again: By the time he left he had an offer.

Goodbye Southern Miss, hello Loveliest Village.

"Talking to the Southern Miss coaches was really tough. I called them the next day," Coates said. "But they were understanding.

"I like Auburn's offense, the spread, and the fact they throw the ball a lot. I like the coaches. I've really got to know Coach (Phillip) Lolley, Coach (Gus) Malzahn and Coach (Gene Chizik).

"I grew up an Alabama fan. Everyone in my family has been always been an Alabama fan. But I connected to everyone at Auburn."

That's why, when Coates got the offer from Auburn and committed, he decided to shut down the recruitment process.

Overcome injury

His focus now is to lead Leroy back to the Super Six and prove the ankle injury is long behind.

"He broke his ankle at the Rivals camp (in 2009)," Powell said. "His performance before that kind of got everyone's attention. But he's had a lot to prove since then."

As a junior, he went against Alabama-bound DeMarcus Milliner. At the Auburn camp, he was tested by a number of big-time corners, including four-star Marcus Roberson out of Fort Lauderdale.

Like Southern Miss, Auburn saw enough to believe.

Now Coates is counting on making his senior season one to remember.

"I never really got going last year," he said. "I was tentative at first, but the more I played the better I felt. Only at the end of the year did I feel like I was 100 percent."

SAMMIE COATES

Super Seniors ranking: No. 7

Position: Wide receiver

School: Leroy

Height/Weight: 6-3/170

College choice: Committed to Auburn. Originally committed to Southern Mississippi and has an offer from South Alabama.

Stat parade: Coming back from a broken ankle suffered the spring prior to his junior season, Coates caught 50 passes for 788 yards and 10 touchdowns. He also returned a kick 94 yards for a touchdown in the state playoffs.

Did you know: The New York Mets have already scouted Coates, who could go in the 2011 Major League Baseball draft as an outfielder or a pitcher. The three-sport star hit .364 for the Leroy baseball team as a junior and averaged 16 points and 12 rebounds on the basketball team. In his spare time, Coates likes to bowl, skate and ride four-wheelers.

Quotable: "He's just so fast. You don't see guys at this level with his speed. We've only had one other guy who could run like that, and that's Johnny Williams, who is at Duke." -- Leroy coach Danny Powell

[djsimp]

I'm really getting to liking this Coates kid. When he first committed, I was like who the heck is this but after seeing what our coaches have done so far, I'm on board. Everything that is written about this kid is great and what about that speed, 4.3/40. Thats some fast feet.

[No Huddle]

Not in the B'ham news but here in the ATL your OL Thomas O'Reily made the AJC Super 11. That is hard to do.

[AUChizad]

I changed my initial post to include all the write ups so far on Auburn commits for this Super Seniors series.

[The Prowler]

Sammie Coates......5 Grillz BITCHES!!!!!!

BTW, Jaylon Denson will be pushing for the top spot in Alabama's Super Seniors.  Bank on it.....also, 5 Grillz and could definitely bounce up.

[AUChizad]

http://highschoolsports.al.com/news/article/8039577644490720083/2010-birmingham-news-super-seniors-no-5-spanish-fort-c-reese-dismukes/

2010 Birmingham News Super Seniors, No. 5: Spanish Fort C Reese Dismukes

Mike Herndon, Press-Register, August 18, 2010 6:31 a.m.
View full size
Reese Dismukes anchors the line for Spanish Fort, recording 34 pancake blocks last season. (Press-Register / G.M. Andrews)
This is the eighth installment of a 12-part countdown of the high school seniors judged by The Birmingham News and recruiters as the best football players in the state for the Class of 2011.

SPANISH FORT -- On Saturdays and Sundays in the fall, Reese Dismukes likes to head up to a remote area of Clarke County, hunt for deer, trade stories around the fire and just relax.

"With the oil spill, I'm up at the hunting camp almost every weekend," said Dismukes, also an avid fisherman who has seen his opportunities for off-shore angling dry up with the Deepwater Horizon explosion in the Gulf. "I just kind of like going in the woods, sitting there all day long and getting my mind off everything."

On Friday nights, Dismukes is a much different person. A 6-foot-3, 272-pound masher considered by ESPN to be the best high school center in the country, the Spanish Fort senior turns downright mean when the lights come on at Spanish Fort Stadium.

"On this team, I'm known as nasty," said Dismukes, who is the state's No. 5 recruit on The Birmingham News' Super Seniors list. "When that game time comes, it's just a feeling I get. I hate the person in front of me. It's nothing personal. Once the game's over, we're fine. It's just when that whistle blows."

It's a mindset that Dismukes said has been adopted by the entire team at Spanish Fort, which won just four games in its first two years of varsity football but is 22-5 since and made the 5A state semifinals in 2009. The Toros still carry chips on their shoulders, Dismukes said, and that's been a part of their success.

"We aren't the biggest and we're aren't the strongest, but we're going to work every week," he said.

Spanish Fort coach Bryant Vincent said that hard-hat mentality defines Dismukes.

"He's just a tough, intelligent, hard-nosed, relentless football player who has tremendous body control and the athletic ability to be a great player," Vincent said. "And he takes pride in everything he does."

Dismukes didn't take up football until the seventh grade, preferring to watch games instead of playing them. When he did decide to come out for the sport, he played different positions along the line until his sophomore year, when former Spanish Fort assistant Matthew Wells moved him to center.

"He said, �If you want to play football at the college level, this is where you need to be,'" Dismukes said.

Now, he believes his experience in playing the position and calling the blocking assignments will help give him an edge at the next level, where many centers are converted guards or tackles. Though his older brother, Jonah, was a kicker at Alabama in the mid-1990s, he chose to take his talents to Auburn, his mother's alma mater and the program he's pulled for all his life.

Once he's there, the best high school center in the country is looking forward to focusing his energies on becoming one of the best college centers in the nation. So much so, in fact, that the deer around Clarke County might be a bit safer next fall.

"I'm not going to be hunting much in the next four years," Dismukes said.

Reese Dismukes

Super Seniors ranking: No. 5

Position: Center

School: Spanish Fort

Height/Weight: 6-3/272

College choice: Auburn

Stat parade: Graded at 92 percent on his blocking in 2009, with 34 pancake blocks. Has not allowed a sack in the past two seasons.

Did you know: An avid hunter, the largest deer he's killed was an eight-point, which is now mounted on his wall. ... Dismukes began his habit of wearing a bandanna after pledging before a game against region rival Vigor not to cut his hair the rest of the season.

Quotable: "I got cussed out a few times at the Jimmy Buffett concert. But there are Alabama people who are congratulating me who don't know me. And there are the Auburn people. I'll be riding down the road and a car with an Auburn tag will pull up and they'll yell, "War Eagle!'" -- Reese Dismukes, on being noticed in public since his commitment to Auburn.

[Snaggletiger]

Getting a true center of this caliber is huge.  I recall when we signed Pugh, I was as pumped about that as anyone in the class.  I'm sorry he had to move around a good bit and didn't get to handle the center duties all 4 years.  Pugh would probably top most people's All-America list by now if he had.

[The Prowler]

I absolutely love this part.....

"On this team, I'm known as nasty," said Dismukes

A "nasty" Offensive Lineman is the type of player that is a must, for all of the wars in the trenches....Clawin', Bitin', Pullin', Punchin', Fish Hookin', Knucklin', Tobacco Spittin'....fuckin' BAD ASS Offensive Lineman.  Plus, he's intelligent....that's another must, for a Center (The MOST IMPORTANT position on the field).

[AUChizad]

http://highschoolsports.al.com/news/article/2442675305930005930/2010-birmingham-news-super-seniors-no-2-leeds-db-jonathan-rose/

2010 Birmingham News Super Seniors, No. 2: Leeds DB Jonathan Rose
Jeff Sentell, Birmingham News, August 21, 2010 1:31 p.m.

View full size
Leeds defensive back Jonathan Rose is rated the No. 3 cornerback in the country by Rivals.com. (The Birmingham News / Tamika Moore)
This is the 11th installment of a 12-part countdown of the high school seniors judged by The Birmingham News and recruiters as the best football players in the state for the Class of 2011.

Everybody now knows Jonathan Rose is going to Auburn. Most knew he was going to Auburn all summer before he committed on Aug. 1.

Was it his Tigers' backpack that gave it away? Was it the fact his dad was the last Division I-A scholarship recruit from Leeds High and he went to Auburn?

Reporters that drew the connection would hear nothing about any alumni pressure from Charles Rose. The Birmingham News' No. 2 Super Senior never felt any from his Tiger Dad.

"My dad was happy wherever I went," Jonathan Rose said. "That was always my decision to make."

His father might have been the only neutral party. The rest of the family bombarded him with advice.

"Those were the pullers," Rose said. "They were the ones tugging me this way or that way. My granddaddy on my mother's side was a big Alabama fan. He started telling me about Nick Saban's rings and putting guys in the NFL. He was hyping Saban. Then my Rose family was all Auburn. They'd say, ‘Gene Chizik is coming in with a new game plan' and I could get to be a big part of that."

The 6-foot-2, 180-pounder rated the No. 3 cornerback in the country by Rivals.com memorized depth charts.

He knew Auburn lacked defensive back depth like Toomer's Corner restrooms do toilet paper after big wins.

"Alabama had signed so many corners and DBs the last couple of years," Rose said. "There was just a greater chance to play right away."

But what if both schools had the same depth chart situation?

"Then it would be different," Rose said. "Then I could have seen it going down all the way to Signing Day. That's because of Saban. He knows how to coach the secondary and has the track record."

But did recruiters ever learn Rose's darkest secret? How many other four-star cornerback prospects were beaten in practice by their head coach for a 25-yard gain?

Leeds coach Keith Etheredge was simulating receivers before the Madison Academy playoff game last season. Etheredge is still a few first downs away from 40 years of age. He was also a good prep receiver back in his day. A double move left Rose beaten, and humbled.

"It kind of did something to my confidence a little bit but I came out that Friday and showed I was ready to lock somebody down," Rose said.

He did exactly that against a Vanderbilt recruit. But when asked about his coach turning him around, Rose doesn't seem worried Rivals.com will take away his stars if the word gets out.

"What had happened was I was young," Rose said, beaming a smile across the practice field. "He did the veteran move. He got my mind out of the game by talking to me. He kind of put hands on me a little bit and got rough with me but I couldn't take it. But now if he comes out my way this year I want cameras there. I'm going to show him a little something."

Rose's summer job was working with elementary school kids in a summer day camp type setting.

"They didn't want to listen to any of my positive messages or serve as an inspiration," he said. "They wanted to throw the football, fight, jump on me and play around. So that's what we would do. I'd go to summer workouts already worn out from being with those kids all day."

The big stat to examine from his junior year was the 29 passes he broke up. He made just three interceptions. Etheredge shared his view about whether that might be a sign of merely average ball skills.

"A lot of times they weren't even throwing to him," he said. "A lot of those balls were in front of him or to the flats and his man was running a takeoff. He'd get up there so fast and get a hand on it. ... Nobody threw at him. He covered so much ground he made a lot of plays on balls thrown to other receivers than his man. He made those plays because of how he moved and him being so long with his height and reach."

Jonathan Rose

Super Seniors ranking: No. 2

Position: Defensive back/kick returner/receiver

School: Leeds

Height/Weight: 6-2/180

College choice: Committed to Auburn.

Stat parade: Rose had 62 tackles last season with three interceptions and 29 passes broken up. He had six catches last season for an average gain of 39.5 yards. Rose scored on four of those receptions.

Did you know: Last year his work ethic was on display often after practice. Everyone knew his scholarship offers would hinge on his skills at defensive back. That didn't keep him from drilling up to an hour after practice catching punts. That led to a 24.7 yard average on punt returns and two scores. He also averaged 38.3 yards on kickoff returns ... He aims to show an all-around game this fall. He worked on his tackling ability supporting the run last season. This year he's going to focus on interceptions ... Rose hopes to play cornerback at Auburn even though others feel his frame will allow weight gain that with his ball skills would be a perfect fit at safety.

Quotable: "You want players that don't get rattled. He does not get rattled. He doesn't panic. He's always confident in the belief he can make a play and make the play. And usually he does." -- Leeds coach Keith Etheredge

[AUChizad]

And the number one recruit is still undecided, but I'm posting it anyway, because of pictures like this.

2010 Birmingham News Super Seniors, No. 1: Valley DB/QB Erique Florence

Published: Sunday, August 22, 2010, 6:20 AM     Updated: Sunday, August 22, 2010, 7:02 AM
Jeff Sentell -- The Birmingham News Jeff Sentell -- The Birmingham News

Erique Florence averaged almost 13 tackles a game last season, but Valley coaches plan to have him at quarterback this year. (The Birmingham News / Michelle Williams)

This is the final installment of a 12-part countdown of the high school seniors judged by The Birmingham News and recruiters as the best football players in the state for the Class of 2011.

VALLEY -- There's a lot to comprehend about Valley High School star Erique Florence.

A good starting place is his full name: Erique Jivozio Chritae Florence.

"Different people gave me names I really liked," said his mother, Chyristal Florence. "I just decided to go with everything. It was too tough to leave a good one out."

Florence has been rated a consensus four-star prospect by Rivals.com and Scout.com. He had 140 tackles last year and is rated among the nation's top five safeties by both recruiting services.

That's despite playing six other positions besides free safety. He's been Valley's starting safety since the third game of his freshman season. That year, he was 6-foot-1 and 170 pounds. That's when Alabama dangled a scholarship offer.

He's now 6-2, 185 and rated the No. 1 prospect on The Birmingham News' list of Super Seniors for the Class of 2011.

At safety in 2009, he averaged 12.7 tackles per game. He also knocked the helmets off two players with bone-jarring hits last year. Super Senior No. 4 Marvin Shinn of Vigor was one of them, getting abused at the end of a fade route.

Valley's coaches feel Florence would be an elite recruit at his position if he just concentrated on one, whether it's cornerback, linebacker, receiver or running back.

At Valley, none is his primary position. Valley coach Mike McCombs moved his best player to quarterback. McCombs said Florence will only play defense if the game is on the line.

McCombs made a discovery after shifting the 6-foot-2 player to quarterback. "We found out not only could he run a 40-yard dash right at 4.4 seconds but he could also throw a football about 65 or 70 yards."

McCombs thinks by doing so it will cause coaches of the 37 colleges that have offered the 17-year-old a scholarship to reassess him, too.

"I see it changing the nature of his recruiting," McCombs said. "He's got all these offers at safety and he's a fantastic safety with NFL potential. But everyone will see him establish himself as one of the nation's top offensive players this year. They will have to figure out if they want a great safety or a great quarterback. That's going to be a tough choice to make."

That's how Chyristal Florence felt when she was choosing a name.

"It was tough to spell," said Erique, who carries a 3.8 grade-point average. "I bet I was in the sixth grade before I had it where the accent marks (are supposed to go."

His mother chose that name while carrying Erique and his fraternal twin Eriquel Jivozee Chritez Florence.

These days, everyone calls Erique "A" and Eriquel "L."

"I was born first and my brother was born second, three minutes apart," Florence said. "They decided to call us 'Baby A' and 'Baby B' when we were born. As I got older, everyone called me 'A' and him 'L' because the last letter of his name is an L."

The person

Florence has never met the man he was named after. His mother said she broke up with the father while she was carrying the twins.

Florence said stepfather Phillip Douglas has filled the void. He's known him for almost 10 years.

Florence does not know what he would do if he ever met his biological father.

"I'm a very emotional kid," he said. "I don't know what I'd say or how to act. It would be whatever comes to heart. I can't explain it. I'd just have to live through it."

During his sophomore year, Florence was at the center of the brawl that broke out between Valley and Carver-Montgomery in the state basketball playoffs. He threw the first Valley punch in retaliation for blows directed at him by a Carver player.

The Alabama High School Athletic Association disciplined both schools by removing them from the playoffs. The punishments handed down further by the Chambers County Board of Education affected Florence deeply.

When his brother came off the Valley bench with the team to defend him, there was one punch Eriquel threw that could not be ignored.

The 5-foot-11, 240-pound Eriquel, who is also is a Valley starter, had to sit out his junior year in all sports as punishment.

"I wound up hurting my team and my brother 'L' with that," Florence said. "He didn't get to play sports his junior year. If that never happened, he would have gotten to play. I know that was tough for him. Colleges aren't really on him yet because he sat out last year, but I tell the college coaches about him all the time."

Because of what happened, Florence now goes out of his way to talk to youth at school and in his neighborhood he feels need hope and direction.

"I want them to know there's a way out," he said. "There's more to this world than Valley. I want them to see what I've got a chance to do with my life so they can do the same. I want them to dream. I've been gifted by God. I want that for them also."

Away from the field, Florence loves music. He plays the drums and grew up attending church.

"He's got to be the most unusual child I've seen," his mother said. "When he's home alone, he'll listen to music and clean the house. He likes everything neat. Can you tell me of another football player you've seen that cleans up his mother's house?"

The decision

There have been times this summer when Florence was ready to name his college choice, but backed away. He grew up an Alabama fan, but switched to Auburn about 10 years ago.

He said Alabama and Auburn are his leaders. There is no particular order. According to his mother, Clemson is a school that has made recent strides.

"Every time I go to Bama I will be like 'Bama is where I want to be.' Then every time I go to Auburn I start thinking 'Auburn is where I want to go,' so it is going to be a tough one," he said.

He does not plan to take an official visit to either school. He says he's well aware of each program's strengths. He doesn't plan to announce his decision until National Signing Day next February.

"I will compare (Alabama and Auburn) to others when I start taking my official visits," Florence said. "I'll visit Florida, LSU, USC, Oregon and Clemson, too. So to make the right decision I feel this is something I'll have to wait until signing day to do."

The girlfriend

There's one aspect of his life that's not unusual. He adores his high school sweetheart.

"I may have already met my wife," Florence said. "She really knows me. She's my best friend. She was my best friend in sixth and seventh grade before we started going out. We can talk about anything, but didn't start going out until the ninth grade."

Auburn fans will like the fact his girlfriend, Bianca Davidson, plans to enroll at Auburn.

While his mother says she wants him to get as far away as possible from the distractions of living too close to his hometown, Davidson hopes Florence will follow her down the road.

"We'll just have to see where it all is in February," Florence said. "I've got a lot of stuff to narrow down."

ERIQUE FLORENCE

Super Seniors ranking: No. 1

Position: Defensive back/quarterback

School: Valley

Height/Weight: 6-2/185

College choice: Alabama and Auburn are his co-leaders. The Valley coaching staff said he has 35 other major college offers besides those.

Stat parade: He wrapped up 140 tackles in 11 games last year at safety. He also played quarterback, running back, wide receiver, kick returner, punt returner and punted.

Did you know: His advice to potential big-time players coming up is to start out early. If you're good enough, he suggests playing a couple years above your age in youth football. He did and he credits that for the early advancement to his game. ... His actual first name has an accent mark on the last "e." ... He avoids sodas but honeybuns and snack cakes are a different story. He's all over those.

Quotable: "When he gets to a college campus and they put weight on him, it is going to be unbelievable to see him play at around 210 pounds because there really is no ceiling to his game." -- Valley coach Mike McCombs

[AUChizad]

Stacks up pretty good for Auburn, especially when you consider that Florence is ours to lose.

The rest of the top 25 doesn't look too bad either.

13. Vinnie Sunseri, Northridge, LB, 5-11/195. Committed to Alabama

14. Anthony Swain, Gadsden City, LB, 6-3/215. Committed to Auburn

15. Keymiya Harrell, Dallas County, DL, 6-5/235. Committed to Auburn

16. Devaunte Sigler, B.C. Rain, DE/LB, 6-4/250. Offers include Auburn, Kentucky, Ole Miss and Texas Tech

17. Stephen Rivers, Athens, QB, 6-6/200. Committed to LSU

18. Jaylon Denson, Hoover, WR, 6-3/205. Committed to Auburn

19. Danny Woodson, LeFlore, WR, 6-2/200. Committed to Alabama

20. T.J. Worthy, Gadsden City, WR, 6-2/180. Committed to Ole Miss

21. Allan Carson, Oxford, OL/DL, 6-0/327. Committed to Tennessee

22. Jacob Coker, St. Paul's, QB, 6-5/210. Committed to Florida State

23. Jacquese Kirk, Walker, DB, 5-11/180. Committed to Lousiville

24. Ameer Abdullah, Homewood, ATH, 5-9/174. Offers include Louisville, Texas A&M and Vanderbilt

[AuburnChopper 3.0]

Surprised Denson isn't higher.   Might be higher in time I'm betting. 

[The Prowler]

Jaylon will be in the Top 5 when they do their final Super Seniors.

[GH2001]

"Then it would be different," Rose said. "Then I could have seen it going down all the way to Signing Day. That's because of Saban. He knows how to coach the secondary and has the track record."

How many Thorpe Award winners has Saban coached directly? I do know of a HC who has coached 3.

[djsimp]

How many Thorpe Award winners has Saban coached directly? I do know of a HC who has coached 3.

Yeah, its that HC down at the "cow college".

On another note. Since moving to Eufaula, I have yet to catch a varsity FB game. I might have to go check out the Eufaula/Valley game this year though to get a look at Florence. Apparently this is a big rivalry game.

[War Eagle!!!]

How many Thorpe Award winners has Saban coached directly? I do know of a HC who has coached 3.

I think he was being a gracious kid after he turned down the scholarship. I would have probably said the same thing.